Where products and markets are mature and where will-fitters, unauthorized reconditioners, and counterfeiters seek to capitalize on an established market participant, it is common for challenges to arise in continuing to serve the market under such direct competition. With respect to counterfeiting, while it is difficult to estimate the financial impact of counterfeit parts, the impact can be significant, for example at least in terms of lost sales. It is not unusual for manufacturers and distributors, as well as suppliers, to sell replacement components parts that may not be authorized, due to increasing competitive pressures that are often driven by cost. This is a common problem for businesses dealing in serviceable or replaceable parts and components, such as for example in protected systems including but not limited to systems of an engines. Therefore, a need exists to discourage customer acceptance of will-fit, reconditioned, and counterfeit product components and prevent or at least minimize against the impact of such activity.
Also, in the case of users of these products, will-fit, unauthorized reconditioned, and counterfeit products often fail to meet original equipment manufacturer specifications. As a result, equipment may fail prematurely or fail to operate as designed. Thus, users of non-genuine or inappropriate products may suffer from lesser quality and/or lesser performing products. Thus, improvements can be made to detect such non-genuine or inappropriate products.
In the example of engines, in order to ensure reliable, robust operation, engines must be protected from contaminants carried by engine fluids, such as for example fuel, oil/lube, air, coolant, etc. This is accomplished by filtering such fluids. Use of a non-genuine filter may present risks of using a filter that is of lesser quality, such as for example a filter that may not provide adequate filtration, that is prone to plugging, or that otherwise does not meet specifications and provides an operator/user with a false sense of security while the engine is damaged. It is desirable to ensure that an appropriate filter has been installed so as to avoid use of inappropriate filters, such as those that do not provide adequate filtration, are prone to plugging, or simply poor quality, and can provide the operator with a false sense of security while the engine is damaged. Thus, it is also desirable for the operational health of the engine to ensure that a genuine filter has been installed and to otherwise highlight detection of a non-genuine filter so as to reduce such risks. Improvements may be made upon existing filter designs so as to identify whether an appropriate filter has been installed.